BiteSafe wins Rep. Jerry Nadler’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in New York’s 12th District
Rep. Jerry Nadler has named Ainslea Hong of The Brearley School as the winner of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in New York’s 12th District. Their app BiteSafe makes dining out safer and simpler for people with food allergies.
When asked what inspired the creation of BiteSafe, Ainslea Hong said, “I was inspired to create BiteSafe after a terrifying experience I’ll never forget. I was born with severe egg and tree nut allergies, so eating out has always carried risk.
“One night, while out with friends, I ordered a chicken dish with pesto sauce. The menu didn’t list pine nuts, but they were in it. Within minutes, I couldn’t breathe and had to be rushed to the ER.
“That moment changed everything. I realized how a single missing word on a menu can mean the difference between safety and a medical emergency. I later learned that this happens far too often, with several food-allergy deaths reported each week from hidden ingredients.
“As an advocate for allergy awareness and safety, and with guidance from my allergist at the New York Presbyterian Food Allergy Center, I wanted to turn that fear into something that could help others.
“That’s why I created BiteSafe—to make dining out safer and more worry-free for families like mine.”
The 2025 Congressional App Challenge marked another record-setting year for the program. A total of 394 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives hosted App Challenges in their congressional districts, the highest level of participation in the program’s history. More than 13,800 students from across the country participated, submitting over 4,600 original apps focused on real-world challenges ranging from health and accessibility to education, sustainability, and civic engagement.
The Congressional App Challenge is an official initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives that encourages middle school and high school students to learn to code, explore computer science, and build practical technology solutions for their communities. Each participating Member of Congress selects a winning app from their district, and winning teams are invited to showcase their projects to Members of Congress, staff, and industry leaders at the annual #HouseOfCode celebration on Capitol Hill.
The Challenge is proudly bipartisan and reflects a shared commitment to expanding access to STEM education and preparing the next generation of American innovators for the future workforce. The program is a public-private partnership made possible through funding from the Broadcom Foundation, AWS, Infosys Foundation USA, theCoderSchool, Apple, and others.
The 2026 Congressional App Challenge will launch in May, and eligible students can pre-register for the competition now.